1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pesticides and molluscacides for mitigating a population of insects and/or mollusca within a target area and, more particularly, to a composition using baits in an outdoor environment for mitigating populations of insects and/or mollusca, especially Fire Ants, the composition including borates or borates and diatomaceous earth with an attractant in a powdered, pelletized, encapsulated or other form able to act as a bait station.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous pesticide and molluscacide formulations have been provided in the prior art. Historically, sprays and baits have been used to mitigate populations of insects and/or mollusca using chemicals that are toxic to humans and the environment. Examples of such sprays and baits used to mitigate the population of Fire Ants include Dursban®, Amdro® and Mirex® which have fallen into disfavor with both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the general public. Use of these sprays and baits are now prohibited or restricted by the EPA. Some laboratory studies using borates (usually boric acid) and sugar water and other simple components as baits are published for indoor use against cockroaches and other indoor pests. However, no comprehensive studies using borates or borates and diatomaceous earth (DE) incorporated into pellets, powders or encapsulated for use as a point source, such as saturating corn cob grits or other food source particles for broadcast over an area for control of insects and/or mollusca as disclosed by the present invention have been performed. The use of specific formulations of borates, such as sodium and/or calcium salts, with effective baits and either with or without diatomaceous earth have not been reported. Vermifuge aids in insect control using a feed-through and/or a bolus method.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,264 issued to de Lisle describes a process utilizing diatomaceous earth (DE) and U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,298 issued to Otto A. Kohl suggests the incorporation of DE into cattle feed at a level of 0.1 percent to 1.0 percent total weight of the cattle feed. DE in the cattle feed is not absorbed into the stomach of the animal to any extent when ingested. This is because the structure of DE is primarily silicon dioxide and other solid minerals that are not broken down within the gut of the cattle and therefore cannot pass through the stomach or intestinal walls. Thus, the DE passes through the stomach and intestines of the cattle with the undigested food and is combined into the manure of the cattle. According to de Lisle, the DE leaves the body of the cattle with the manure and affects the development of flies which are attracted to and eat the manure. These patents are only concerned with flies affecting cattle.
While these processes may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.
It is therefore desired to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca. It is further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca including an attractant combined with either borates (including boric acid) or borates and DE, botanical insecticides may also be used. It is yet further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca which is formulated in any or all of powder, granular (pelletized), bait station or encapsulated form. It is even further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca able to attract a target pest to a point source for the purpose of mitigating the pest. It is still further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca in which the point sources of the composition for attracting the target insects and/or mollusca are distributed in a spaced relation near and about the area to be treated. It is yet further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca which is able to attract insect pests such as face flies, horn flies, house flies, fire ants, etc. and mollusca to point sources such as cattle manure laced with feed-through or bolus pesticides particularly borates or borates and DE. It is even further desirable to provide a composition for mitigating the populations of insects and/or mollusca including a slow acting pesticide that allows any insects and/or mollusca attracted thereto to carry the composition back to the colony or other living space and affect the entire population thereby mitigating generations of the insects and/or mollusca.